


so much closer

by nightdescending



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-03
Updated: 2013-12-03
Packaged: 2018-01-03 08:45:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1068446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightdescending/pseuds/nightdescending
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko has always been empathetic. He's been able to understand his team, and he's always reacted accordingly. And then he meets Kagami.</p>
            </blockquote>





	so much closer

Kuroko has always been able to feel his teammates' emotions. He's empathetic. He's been able to understand how everyone was feeling, and he's always reacted accordingly, adjusting his plays to compensate for his teammates' current vulnerabilities.

And then he meets Kagami.

Kuroko senses Kagami's emotional state in a way that's different from any teammate he's had before, and it puts him on edge.

He thinks maybe Kagami feels things differently. Deeper, possibly. Kuroko can't quite put his finger on it, but it's not so much adjusting to how Kagami is feeling as it is feeling it at the same time and reacting instinctively.

The only thing that matters though is that he reacts, he adjusts, he attunes himself, and somehow their plays always seem to work out.

That's the point. They work better together than anyone Kuroko has ever worked with before, and it's good.

It's good.

—

They win their first game. They win their second game. They win, and they keep winning, and Kuroko feels like Kagami's excitement is an extension of himself.

Kagami's eyes shine a tiny bit brighter when they win. His movements seem surer. Kuroko isn't sure how to describe it but maybe Kagami feels more present.

Kagami feels every moment, and Kuroko feels it with him, and Kuroko thinks that's probably perfect.

—

They win against a particularly difficult opponent. In the changing room afterward, Kagami is more excited than usual, his voice louder and his step lighter.

Kuroko feels like there's a bubble in his chest, one that's impossible to burst. After he wins, he usually feels an odd sense of calm. He figures this must be because of Kagami.

He has always been empathetic, but the fact that he can attribute such a specific feeling to one person almost makes him falter. Almost.

And then suddenly there's this heavy feeling in his chest, as if he is collapsing in on himself but in a good way, and his heart clenches, and he thinks, _Oh._

Kuroko turns away before Kagami can see the way his lips turn up at the corner.

—

They keep winning. Kagami is more and more excited after every game they win, and Kuroko feels it in his bones.

Kagami remains as intense as ever, as focused and driven, but Kuroko can sense the happiness bubbling under Kagami's skin, and he feels it too.

He experiences everything, as intense as if it was his feeling to begin with. 

And sometimes his gaze lingers slightly too long, and sometimes finds himself making excuses to look over at Kagami. And no one else seems to notice, but sometimes, Kuroko swears he feels Kagami's eyes on the back of his neck.

It feels natural.

—

It's the third quarter and he's felt Kagami staring at him for this whole stupid game, and his skin is tingling and warm.

He isn't sure how to explain the tiny smile he's been wearing when Hyuuga asks him about it.

—

They lose a game.

The disappointment, the regret, the anger burning under the surface, Kuroko can feel all of it. His skin feels too tight.

Outwardly, he is as neutral as always. But internally, he feels all of it.

His gaze inevitably finds Kagami, and he sees the way his entire body is tense, sees the expression on his face, and Kuroko's body suddenly feels like an afterthought.

Kagami is angry. And yes, everyone is on edge, but Kagami is _angry_.

During the game, it had echoed in Kuroko's mind. It made the rest of his senses dull and basically useless. He could still feel his teammates on the court, could still map them out in his mind, but it felt wrong.

Kagami was angry. Kuroko couldn't shove the thought out of his mind. Their teammates' focus was entirely on the basket, but.

Kagami is angry. Kuroko had tried to be as efficient as ever when using his misdirection, but his mind was elsewhere, and when the other team had stolen the ball from him, he wasn't exactly surprised.

—

After the game, once they reach their changing room, Kagami basically corners Kuroko. He's still mad. Kuroko understands.

"What the hell was that?!" Kagami demands.

Kuroko is silent. He watches the way Kagami's emotions play out on his face. He sees the way Kagami's body is still too tense, and he doesn't respond.

"They wouldn't have been able to take the ball from you if you were focusing! They could never—" Kagami starts, and Kuroko suddenly feels like holding back is stupid. He makes a half-second decision and he is tired of this. He leans up and presses his lips to Kagami's.

Kagami falls silent immediately. Kuroko has a moment to wonder just exactly how bad this idea was, and then Kagami is kissing him back.

Kagami kisses him back, aggressive as always, and Kuroko matches his intensity as if it were a competition, and it is, really, but he doesn't mind letting Kagami win.

Kagami's hands are moving up his sides, and then one of them stalls at his ribs and the other moves up to his hair, gripping, almost but not quite pulling, and Kuroko feels like this is where he was meant to be.

Kagami bites at his bottom lip and Kuroko forgets how to think.

A pointed cough breaks through the haze of _KagamilipshandsKagamiyes_ , and Kuroko suddenly remembers the rest of their team.

He pulls back, and he doesn't remember his hand moving up to tangle in Kagami's hair, but there it is somehow.

He turns around, suddenly hyperaware of his surroundings. Apparently Hyuuga was the one who coughed.

Kuroko feels perfectly fine. Kagami coughs awkwardly.

Kuroko's hand moves unconsciously toward Kagami's. When he finds it, he places his fingers over Kagami's and holds on. He carefully doesn't think about how Kagami is standing maybe an inch away from him, until he does think about it. He leans back, feels Kagami's chest pressed against his back, and ignores the way he can feel Kagami's ragged breaths on the side of his neck. Kagami laces their fingers together.

They stay that way for a moment, and things seem to settle.

Riko starts in about strategy and positions and everything is perfectly normal.

—

They keep playing, of course. They almost always win, and Kuroko counts the way he can feel Kagami's every reaction as an advantage.

He counts the way he can sense Kagami's awareness of his position on the court as an advantage.

Really, there aren't any downsides to this.

Kagami pulls him in close sometimes (often) after games or practice, presses their lips together, and Kuroko sometimes (almost always) follows Kagami home afterward, and then they find their limbs tangled together on Kagami's bed and really.

Kuroko can't find anything wrong with it. He knows, deep within himself, that Kagami feels the same, and it's good.

It's so good.


End file.
